Sophie followed suit.
The sound of the Manor’s heavy front door opening and slamming closed made them all visibly tense; to Sophie’s relief it was only Aeric, the big blond guy she’d met briefly yesterday.
“It’s a shit storm out there,” he said, shaking his head and throwing aside a sword that was missing at least a third of its length.
“Rhys has called all of the Louisiana Shifters in for help, but they only made it as far as the outskirts of the city before they got caught up in a battle,” Duverjay informed Aeric.
“Damn,” Aeric said, shaking his head. “Never in my life have I missed my dragon so.”
“You’re a dragon?” Sophie asked, awestruck. “I thought dragons were extinct!”
Aeric’s lips twitched.
“I was a dragon,” he corrected her. “No time for the story now, I’m afraid. Not with all the melee outside.”
“We have to kill Papa Aguiel,” Sophie said, crossing her arms. “It’s that simple.”
“Is it, now?” Aeric asked, eyeing her. “Have you got some kind of great plan then, mm?”
Sophie flushed. She did, but it wasn’t as if she could tell him that. “Not that I can share, but I have been setting things in motion to see to his downfall, I assure you.”
A strange expression flickered across Ephraim’s face, a kind of sudden understanding. It took Sophie a minute, but she realized that Ephraim probably thought she was going to send him up against Papa Aguiel.
Before she could correct him, he was following Aeric toward the armory.
“Ephraim, wait!” she said, rushing to keep up.
“Go with Duverjay,” Ephraim said, refusing to meet her gaze. “I will meet you back here tomorrow. Stay with the Guardians’ mates tonight, help protect them.”
He was trying to flatter her with that last bit, and she wasn’t having any of it.
“Ephraim, no,” she said, snagging his shirt sleeve. “You can’t just… go off.”
“Is that a command?” he asked, arching an imperious brow.
“No… but what if something happens to you before…” she stopped and bit her lip.
“Before what, exactly?” he asked, pulling his sleeve from her grasp and crossing his arms.
“I don’t want to go to the Gray Market. I want to stay with you,” Sophie said, aware that she sounded like a whiny female. “I don’t… I don’t want to get separated.”
That much was true, at least.
Ephraim softened, which made her feel guilty for the thousandth time in the past few hours. He reached out and squeezed her shoulders, drawing her close for a brief hug.
God, he smells so good , the dumb part of her brain said.
“I have to go, but I’ll see you tomorrow night. Just go be with the other girls, okay? I don’t want to have to worry about your safety,” he said. After a moment’s hesitation, he leaned down and brushed a burning kiss over her lips. “Be safe.”
He turned and stalked off without a backward glance, leaving Sophie with a heartsick sensation in her chest and a thousand questions in her mind.
First and foremost: the way she felt right now, the way Ephraim was making her feel…
Was it fear for her plan, or for the man she was growing to like and respect? Was this just the mating attraction, that impossible-to-ignore hunger, or was it something more?
Greater than lust, stronger than simple need…
What was that called, exactly?
She shook her head, refusing to take that thought any further. She was a woman on a mission, not a lovesick schoolgirl. Just because he was handsome and had a storied past that spoke to her… Just because her body tightened every time she thought of the way he’d given her pleasure in the pool the night before… Just because she sensed his innermost goodness, trapped beneath all that sadness and anger, and a part of her desperately wanted to salve his wounds…
That didn’t mean anything, right?
Chapter Seven
E phraim was weary as death . Though reinforcements had slowly begun to filter in from around the world in the
The sound of the Manor’s heavy front door opening and slamming closed made them all visibly tense; to Sophie’s relief it was only Aeric, the big blond guy she’d met briefly yesterday.
“It’s a shit storm out there,” he said, shaking his head and throwing aside a sword that was missing at least a third of its length.
“Rhys has called all of the Louisiana Shifters in for help, but they only made it as far as the outskirts of the city before they got caught up in a battle,” Duverjay informed Aeric.
“Damn,” Aeric said, shaking his head. “Never in my life have I missed my dragon so.”
“You’re a dragon?” Sophie asked, awestruck. “I thought dragons were extinct!”
Aeric’s lips twitched.
“I was a dragon,” he corrected her. “No time for the story now, I’m afraid. Not with all the melee outside.”
“We have to kill Papa Aguiel,” Sophie said, crossing her arms. “It’s that simple.”
“Is it, now?” Aeric asked, eyeing her. “Have you got some kind of great plan then, mm?”
Sophie flushed. She did, but it wasn’t as if she could tell him that. “Not that I can share, but I have been setting things in motion to see to his downfall, I assure you.”
A strange expression flickered across Ephraim’s face, a kind of sudden understanding. It took Sophie a minute, but she realized that Ephraim probably thought she was going to send him up against Papa Aguiel.
Before she could correct him, he was following Aeric toward the armory.
“Ephraim, wait!” she said, rushing to keep up.
“Go with Duverjay,” Ephraim said, refusing to meet her gaze. “I will meet you back here tomorrow. Stay with the Guardians’ mates tonight, help protect them.”
He was trying to flatter her with that last bit, and she wasn’t having any of it.
“Ephraim, no,” she said, snagging his shirt sleeve. “You can’t just… go off.”
“Is that a command?” he asked, arching an imperious brow.
“No… but what if something happens to you before…” she stopped and bit her lip.
“Before what, exactly?” he asked, pulling his sleeve from her grasp and crossing his arms.
“I don’t want to go to the Gray Market. I want to stay with you,” Sophie said, aware that she sounded like a whiny female. “I don’t… I don’t want to get separated.”
That much was true, at least.
Ephraim softened, which made her feel guilty for the thousandth time in the past few hours. He reached out and squeezed her shoulders, drawing her close for a brief hug.
God, he smells so good , the dumb part of her brain said.
“I have to go, but I’ll see you tomorrow night. Just go be with the other girls, okay? I don’t want to have to worry about your safety,” he said. After a moment’s hesitation, he leaned down and brushed a burning kiss over her lips. “Be safe.”
He turned and stalked off without a backward glance, leaving Sophie with a heartsick sensation in her chest and a thousand questions in her mind.
First and foremost: the way she felt right now, the way Ephraim was making her feel…
Was it fear for her plan, or for the man she was growing to like and respect? Was this just the mating attraction, that impossible-to-ignore hunger, or was it something more?
Greater than lust, stronger than simple need…
What was that called, exactly?
She shook her head, refusing to take that thought any further. She was a woman on a mission, not a lovesick schoolgirl. Just because he was handsome and had a storied past that spoke to her… Just because her body tightened every time she thought of the way he’d given her pleasure in the pool the night before… Just because she sensed his innermost goodness, trapped beneath all that sadness and anger, and a part of her desperately wanted to salve his wounds…
That didn’t mean anything, right?
Chapter Seven
E phraim was weary as death . Though reinforcements had slowly begun to filter in from around the world in the
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